A variety of electrical cable assemblies are known. Typically, these known assemblies for computers and like equipment include metal or molded housings which protect or insulate cable wires at the connector to cable interface and further protect other cable components, including connectors with or without connector shields. In the known metal housings, the connector to cable interface is unrestrained within the housing. In contrast, in the known molded housings, the connector to cable interface is integral with the molding itself.
While these known assemblies provide a generally adequate means to protect or insulate cables, and in particular the connector to cable interface, there are problems associated with their use. For example, the current metal housings that are used in cable assemblies are not designed to accept a wide range of cable diameters. Thus, the number of cables that are actually usable in metal housings is very limited. Therefore, it becomes necessary to have an assortment of differently sized housing for accommodating various cable sizes. These sizes restrictions escalate the cost of cable assemblies.
In addition to the aforementioned size restrictions of metal housings, the presently used molded housing require large interface openings for plugging or connecting multi pin male connector cable assemblies into mating female connectors. This requirement is especially burdensome in situations wherein there is limited space.
Despite the numerous disadvantages with the above-mentioned cable assemblies, these assemblies are still widely used in electrical connector and cable industries. Thus, while these cable assemblies protect or insulate cables and cable connectors, they do not effectively resolve any of the aforementioned problems.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable assembly with a molded housing around the connector to cable interface.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cable assembly with a molded housing around the connector to cable interface which accepts a wide range of cable diameters.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cable assembly with a molded housing around the connector to cable interface which reduces the opening size of the connecting interface required for plugging the assembly into a mating connector.